This invention relates to fluid delivery systems for providing perenteral nutrition, enteral nutrition or other fluids to patients who require infusion of fluids, and particularly to such systems which use disposable fluid delivery sets in conjunction with a pump unit (usually a peristaltic pump and motor unit) for supplying such fluids to patients at a controlled delivery rate.
Disposable fluid delivery sets typically comprise a drip container (sometimes referred to in the trade as a "drip chamber") adapted to be mounted in fixed position on a pump and motor unit, an outlet tube which is connected to the outlet of the drip container and which is adapted to extend around a rotor of the pump and motor unit, and a mounting piece at the end of the outlet tube which is held in fixed position on the pump and motor unit for connection of the outlet end of the outlet tube to a patient infusion system. The arrangement is such that, as the rotor is driven, fluid is peristaltically pumped from the drip container to the patient infusion system. A medical fluid delivery system of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,703.
Disposable fluid delivery sets are made by numerous different manufacturers, as are peristaltic pump units. These sets and units are often perceived as being interchangeable, so that the user of a pump unit made by a particular manufacturer may use disposable fluid delivery sets from one or more different manufacturers. This may lead to problems if the fluid delivery set is not compatible with the peristaltic pump unit.